Railroad Angel
by Nori-Wings
Summary: Every afternoon without fail, Soul gets on the train and observes from far the pigtailed girl. He does not know her and have ever spoken to her, but feels that her presence has changed something in him. The problem? He doesn't know what to say to her, but a forgotten book in the wagon could become the key to finally ask her name


**It's my first fanfic in english, I'm so excited!**

 **Big thanks to leslietendo and makaokun for helped me with the translation, you're the best!**

 _Hope you like it_

* * *

How was it possible that such a small person could get so much attention on herself?

It was out of his understanding.

Everyday, around 5 PM, Soul would go home by train from the studio he used to rehearse with his band. For him, that journey was a relief from all of his daily worries, the train wasn't packed and he could rest while listening to some music and watch through the window without thinking about anything in particular.

Well, at least that's how it was, until two months ago.

The first day he saw her, she was running hurriedly and almost tripped when got into the wagon, making Soul alarm for the commotion and focused his attention on her immediately.

Any person would come back to their own business after making sure she hadn't fallen, but he just couldn't take his eyes off from her. That was something unusual for Soul, who was more withdrawn and careless about unknown people, much less when Miles Davis was playing in his headphones. He didn't know if it was her pigtails that waved gracefully everytime she took a step what caught his eye or that huge book that she started reading, which could easily take up half of her backpack. The reason could also be that she had very beautiful and deep green eyes, or simply that she had a naive and joyful aura that was easy to notice.

He had never seen someone like that.

He tried to look at her the sneakiest way possible, until she left a few stations before his, then he finally payed attention to other stuff, like his music, now without an adorable and confusing distraction that she provoked on him.

And he was pretty sure that that scene would stay as a simple anecdote, if it wasn't for the next day, at the same hour and place, she entered the same train and started reading in her seat, a new book as giant as the last one from yesterday.

That was how the pigtailed girl started taking part of his routine and her brilliant presence always made his day and mood.

Without noticing, he writing a mental list about every detail he noticed everyday, as he saw her. The first one and the most evident, was that she was small and he knew that even if she wore those high boots, she would barely reach his shoulders.

But even if her height wasn't the highest, there was something that made her look taller and even more attractive. Her legs. Long, slender legs that had the capacity of making his face burn everytime she wore a skirt or crossed her legs when she sat, and God only knew how ridiculous he felt everytime that happened. That wasn't cool at all.

He also noticed that this girl and her books were inseparable and he seemed to be amused that she was so expressive when reading. He could almost guess what the book was about or how the scene she was reading was, just by seeing her face. Until one day, at that same scene, something unexpected happened.

Usually she just smiled but on that occasion, the book must have been funny, since he heard her laughing gently and that simple sound was so sweet for him, that he started to shiver in his seat, and it made his heart beat faster.

What the heck was that...? Well, it was a stupid question and he was afraid the answer was what he suspected; he didn't even know how to react at something like this.

But day by day, it was more obvious what was happening to him.

"You like her..." stated Wes "...a lot."

Soul just moaned while he hid his face behind his hands.

"What's wrong with you?" asked his brother without understanding his reaction.

"I never thought that something like this would happen to me" Soul answered while he rested his chin on the kitchen table. "How is it possible...? I don't even know her name!"

"Then ask her."

Soul looked at him frightened.

"Talk to her?"

"Yeah, you know, that act, oh-so typical, between humans of changing words in a language that they both understand." said Wes strangely serious.

"I can't." said Soul immediately, scaring himself.

"Then what are you going to do? Are you going to look at her from afar like a total creep for eternity?"

"No, I really want to talk to her, but I don't know how." he sighed shaking his hair with exasperation "I'm not good at this stuff and I will stay babbling for sure with my mind on blank like an idiot or if I actually talk I will say something stupid, or make her hate me, or maybe..."

"Well, it's true that you're not eloquent." said Wes, interrupting his paranoia. "But it could help your great talent that you have of saying stuff in an honest and brutally direct way."

"I don't know what shit you're talking about." said Soul frowning.

"God... I feel sorry for that poor girl; her prince doesn't have imagination." sighed his big brother with a troubled expression so irritating that Soul was feeling the sudden urge to punch him in the face.

"Now maybe, you, know-it-all, could share some of your knowledge with me and tell me what a simple mortal like me could do."

"Well my dear disciple, listen with all your attention to what Wes-sensei has to teach you." Soul was looking at him as if he had three heads. "To start, it doesn't work if you overthink about how to talk to her, if you have the capacity of expressing yourself clearly and concisely at the time of saying the truth."

It was unexpected, but that made sense.

"Right…and then?"

"You know what to do."

"No, I do not, so answer my question."

"The answer is in your heart."

"WES!"

"Ok, ok, sorry." said Wes shaking his hands. "First, when you get close to her, prepare an excuse, something simple that makes it easier to start a conversation." Soul nodded, that sounded good to him. "And when you look at her right in the eyes..."

"When I look at her in the eyes..."

"Take your guitar out and play something romantic like " _Short skirt, Long jacket_ " by Cake, I think she'll like it"

"I'll ask Liz. She must have an idea that will not make me look like an idiot."

Before calling the number of his friend, he stared at Wes.

"Really? " _Short skirt, Long jacket_ "? What were you thinking?"

Wes shrugged while a smile adorned his face.

"I just thought that it will suit both of you."

For Soul's surprise, after a time, he verified that he had the reason for thinking that.

* * *

It was Wednesday.

He made up his mind; it was the day when he will step out of the shadows and take the risk of talking to her, to ask her the hour.

Doubt took over him quickly when he saw her entering the train just to take her usual seat with a relieving sigh. She seemed tired and the fact that she was carrying a lot more stuff than usual was making the situation worst. She was carrying some bags, the same backpack as always, a little suitcase and two books that she was hugging against her chest.

Was it really the ideal moment to make his first move? He was not that sure now.

"It doesn't work if you overthink about how to talk to her"

Stupid Wes. He pisses him off, even taking away the microphone from the voice of his conscience.

He didn't know what to do, until he remembered the point in the conversation with his brother that made sense. Eye contact.

He looked up to see her eyes closed. She had fallen asleep.

Great, luck wasn't on his side, as always.

When they were arriving to the station where she always left he started to get nervous.

Now he had no idea what to do. She falling asleep was something bad already, but trying to wake her up was out of consideration, he would look like a total psychopath by knowing where she leaves.

Then a fleeting noise interrupted his chaotic thoughts and when he saw her, he noticed that she had loosened her grip on the books, making one fall on the floor.

He looked at the book, which seems like it was screaming " _this is your chance Soul_!"  
Giving it back to her could be a perfect excuse to wake her up, talk to her, and look like a hero in her eyes just for saving her book, so he stood up to pick it up.

But clearly destiny wouldn't let him go that easy.

Right in the moment when he bent down to take it, the train suddenly stopped and she woke up instantly. Soul stayed static when she opened her eyes and looked around in a sleepy way.

Suddenly she noticed where she was and exclaimed "Oh no!"

She didn't even notice him, just took her stuff quickly and left the train, leaving Soul still bent down, his mind in blank, and his heart beating fast without knowing what the hell just happened.

He glanced at the floor, the book was still there.

He took it and went back to his seat to ask himself over and over again why the Universe hated him so much. But, at least he still had hope; he still had the chance to give it back to her. He just needed to wait until tomorrow.

He looked at the cover to read the title of the book and his eyes widened completely by the surprise.

It was "Gardens of the Moon" by Steven Erikson.

His favorite book.

* * *

Soul was alarmed when she didn't enter the train the next day, and the next one to that day, Friday, it made him feel desperate.

She has been taking the same train, at the same hour, taking the seat closer to the door, why wasn't she there now?

That night he stared at the ceiling of his room cursing over and over again at the whole world with all of his might. The only exception was her of course; it wasn't her fault that he was a coward and didn't talk to her sooner.

He sighed and took the book to examine it. He was still surprised that she chose specifically that one. He wasn't a bookworm, but there were still some books that he liked and he had read them so many times he could recite them by memory.

He opened the book mindlessly and checked the pages without a particular reason. It seemed like it was new and he supposed she just bought it. It was a shame that she hadn't  
even read it yet.

Then he noticed there was a marking on page twenty. It was folded in half and probably it was just an improvised bookmark, but something told him that he must take it out and see it.

And when he did he sees something written, it was something he did not see coming.

On that page with horizontal lines, was a purple kitty drawn on the edge, there was written something that looked like a schedule, and by the looks of it, it seems she had a hard week. The word " _exam_ " was written repeatedly, also " _essay_ " and the phrase " _particular classes_ ". The latter was accompanied by different names, who he supposed, were her students. What she was teaching?

On the day Wednesday, " _Dress rehearsal_ " was written. He had no idea what it could be, but that explained the amount of bags and the suitcase.

Thursday was a calm day for her, she only had written " _Meeting in Death Park_ " and " _Trip to Contemporary Art Museum_ ".

The schedule only lasted until Saturday, she had only written " _Date at Spartoi Cafe_ "

He knew that place; it was close from the store where he usually buys his jazz CDs.

It was at 5 pm, just the hour where he used to see her on the train.

In part he was depressed by the fact that she had a boyfriend, but he would give her the book, so he called Black Star to tell him that he would not attend the band's rehearse the next day.

He had something important to do.

* * *

Saying he was nervous wasn't enough to describe how he was feeling when he was standing in front of the cafe. He was going mad, about to hyperventilate.

" _You have to do this, otherwise you'll regret it!_ " said his mind again. He swallowed thickly and opened the door before the thought of leaving beat him.

There she was. Sitting at the bottom of the place, looking at the cup that she had between her hands. She was alone and it seems like she was waiting there for a while now.

Then she glaced up, their stares encountered each other and smiled.

 _She smiled to him._

Soul felt as if he was about to die right there at that moment, but somehow he managed to walk and get close to her, praying to all the gods that went through his mind that when he talked to her, he wouldn't start stuttering.

"Hey... "He said finally.

"Hi" she said, still smiling.

Hearing her voice was something similar to get punched in the stomach.

"I... this..." he didn't know what to do, but then he remembered the book, and took it out of his bag quickly, to give it to her." I saw you the other day on the train and this fell out of your arms and... I saw the schedule in there, it said that you were going to be here so..."

"Oh, thanks" she said taking the book and wait a minute, was she blushing? "You were taking too long."

That was unexpected and he just blinked, confused.

"What?"

"Why don't you sit here with me?" she said, pointing at the chair in front of her.

Soul couldn't deny those brilliant eyes, so he took his bag off and took a seat.

"My name is Maka" she said, offering her hand as a greeting and Soul didn't think twice taking it.

It was soft and small. Very warm.

"I'm Soul" he finally said.

"Nice to meet you Soul." She smiled again and he couldn't do anything but smile back.

"I don't mean to be rude but... am I not bothering you? Your boyfriend could be here any minute and if he sees me..."

"That's not a problem, since I don't really have a boyfriend" Maka said leaning her head to the side.

"But the schedule said that you had a date today." said Soul, even more confused.

"The date is with you."

Soul felt something in his chest, a strange mix of confusion and surprise that left him speechless and Maka blushed even more by his expression.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"We've been a long time traveling in the same train, right?" she started to explain "I saw you immediately since the first day"

"Like when you almost fell on the floor?" asked Soul and he kicked himself mentally for exposing the evidence too soon.

"Yes, it's just… how many times in your life can you find a guy with white hair and red eyes?, I've never saw someone like that before and I couldn't do anything but look at you."

That was exactly what he thought that day.

"Oh yes, I use to attract attention for that." he said, scratching his head.

"You seemed interesting and I didn't want to leave the train." she kept narrating "It was actually a surprise to see you again the next day and you looked at me too."

"You noticed?" asked Soul, feeling the heat rising on his face again.

"Yes, and since then I couldn't read a single word of my books, I only use them to hide my face so you wouldn't see me staring."

Soul snorted, trying to contain the laughter, and Maka smiled shyly.

"So we've been like idiots during two months looking at each other without saying anything" said Soul losing all the nerves.

"Yes, I just didn't know how to talk to you"

"Me neither" he confessed and he suddenly understood what she said before. "So... you left your book on the floor on purpose?"

"Yeah..." She seemed like she was having fun and was ashamed of herself at the same time. "...and when I saw you about to take it, I panicked and ran out of the train as fast as I could."

"That's the weirdest method I've seen somebody use to ask someone out." said Soul arching his eyebrow.

They looked at each other for a few seconds and started laughing, but they tried to keep quiet without success when the rest of the people started staring at them angry.

"I know, it's stupid because after that I realized I could've just left my cell phone number instead of the places where I was going to wait for you."

Soul laughed again. This girl was something.

"Why didn't you come to the train? I was hoping to see you there."

"I give singing lessons and I use that train to go to the house of one of my students, but he canceled the classes this week, besides I wanted to talk to you. I thought the time of the trip in the train wasn't enough."

"You're right." he accepted smiling like a fool "I prefer this too."

"So, you want to order?" she asked pointing the menu.

"Truth is I don't drink coffee that much." Soul confessed "You want to go and eat pizza? I'll pay."

"That sounds way better." she laughed gracefully and blushed again when she saw Soul standing up and offering his hand to her.

"Let's go, I know a place that is casually close to here." Maka nodded and took his hand,  
shaking a little bit.

They went out of the cafe and to the restaurant that Soul mentioned.

It was strange, they barely knew each other and the others' names, but it felt natural going together by the hand even if Soul was afraid of him not being capable to talk, the conversation was pretty fluid.

"By the way, do you like Steven Erikson?" asked Soul.

"Never read his works before" answered Maka.

"But the book..." he said, surprised again.

"There was one single day where you brought a book on the train and I wrote it immediately" she said, looking down "I thought I would attract your attention if it were that book the one I left."

He just couldn't stop himself but think she was adorable.

"You should read it, it's a little complicated but it's pretty good."

"Then I'll accept your recommendation."

They smiled at each other and kept walking, talking about everything, and learning new stuff about each other.

They didn't know, that this conversation they wished to have, was going to last really long.

And even after all these years, they still fascinate each other like that day where they finally met at Spartoi Cafe.


End file.
